scathe

Where does the word "scathe" come from? It comes from Old Norse skaða, passing through Middle English before entering English (1790s).

Scathe’s story begins in Old Norse: skaða meant “to harm, injure.” A verb for doing harm; the related German 'Schaden' gives 'schadenfreude'. By 1200s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as scathe. Reinforced an Old English cognate, 'sceaþa', meaning a criminal or enemy. It reached English by 1790s as scathing. The verb faded, but survives in 'unscathed' and in 'scathing' for harshly critical words. Today, scathe means (archaic) to harm; now mostly in 'scathing' and 'unscathed'.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval skaða "to harm, injure", a verb for doing harm; the related German 'Schaden' gives 'schadenfreude'.
2. Stage 2 · Middle English · 1200s scathe "harm, damage", reinforced an Old English cognate, 'sceaþa', meaning a criminal or enemy.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1790s scathing "witheringly critical", the verb faded, but survives in 'unscathed' and in 'scathing' for harshly critical words.